they hope to see the laws clarified and applied logically. hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's wednesday october 30. i'm catherine from tokyo. turks have marked the founding of the republic by opening a tunnel linking europe to asia. they realized the project dreamed up more than a century ago. >> translator: the tunnel

connects asia and europe. it's also a dream come true. our forefathers came up with this plan 150 years ago. their dream has become reality. >> the tunnel stretches almost 14 kilometers including a 1 1/2 kilometer section under the bus. japan provided financing with loans of $1.5 billion u.s. a japanese construction firm helped build the tunnel. >> translator: i appreciate that turkey chose japan as a partner to work on such a historic project. >> guests at the opening ceremony boarded the first train to travel to the european side. residents took a ride too. >> translator: i thought taking an undersea subway would be scary. it's as good as traveling above ground. i enjoy the ride.

>> residents complain about chronic traffic congestion on bridges. a ferry ride lasts half an hour. the subway takes four minutes. cooperation in various fields including nuclear energy and technology will be boosted. they released a joint statement. the turkish company gave a statement saying the two countries will speed up preparations to open a university in turkey training experts in nuclear energy and other advanced scientific fields. they discussed the situation in syria. abe promised japan will provide humanitarian services.

>> as 2014 will mark 90 years since by lateral diplomacy was established. abe said turkey is building a major presence in the international community with outstanding economic performance. iranians have offered a new approach aimed at ending the log with the chemical weapon. the meeting was called productive. delegates from the two sides issued a joint statement tuesday after the two day meeting in vienna. >> new proposal on practical measures as a constructive contribution to strengthen cooperation and dialogue with a view to future resolution of a all out standing issues. >> he said the two sides had

discussed a possible visit it by inspectors to a military facility near the capital teheran. iran is suspended of nuclear weapon at the facility. >> i believe this is the new proposal by iran. we have opened a new chapter of cooperation. the ultimate goal would be resolution of all remaining issues. >>antiterrorism operations. a u.s. drone strike killed two members of a group in somalia believed to have links with al qaeda. so malia's interior ministry says the members were killed traveling in a car.

a military source was quoted saying the attack was carried out by unmanned aircraft. the group has carried out bomb attacks on neighboring countries. they clime responsibility for last month's shopping mall attack in the kenyan capital nairobi. they're expanding operations in africa. observers are taking advantage of confusion kcaused by libya's civil war in egypt. people in china have more questions than answer about a deadly crash in beijing. a vehicle plowed through a crowd in tiananmen square. five people died. media in hong kong are reporting members of the uighur ethnic minority may have been involved. the allegation has come to light as fresh images of the crash have surfaced. nhk world's kurando tago reports.

>> reporter: the video is shaky, but it clearly showed the aftermath of the incident people across china are talking about. a sport utility vehicle plowed into a crowd of tourists on monday in tiananmen square. then it crashed into a low bridge and burst into flames. the driver and two passengers died. so did a chinese man and a woman from the philippines. this is where the crash occurred. one day after the incident, the area is crowded with tourists, as usual, but police have blocked off part of the square. they're asking visitors for identification. >> translator: this incident is a threat against society. it's made me feel anxious. >> translator: there are so many people in beijing.

many of them have complained. someone could have taken things to the extreme. >> reporter: tiananmen square is close to key political institutions. pro-democracy students staged protests there in 1989 that ended in a military crackdown. but responsibility for the crash is being pinned on another section of society. a hong kong newspaper reports that two of the three people who were in the suv are ethnic uighurs, the minority uighurs and the majority han people have fought for years in the autonomous region. the uighurs say they're fed up with being dominated politically and economically by the han. arrests over the past few years have left hundreds dead. it appears chinese investigators are examining the possibility of uighur involvement.

someone posted a document said to be from public security authorities in beijing. it mentions the crash. it shows the names and addresses of two men from the uighur autonomous region. it also lists the license plate number of a car. the document called for people to come forward if they have information about the men. some in the chinese media say authorities released the document to gauge public reaction. right now, government officials are only talking about the crash in vague terms. >> translator: the relevant ministry is now investigating the incident. we are also taking strong measures to secure the safety and stability of the capital. >> reporter: analysts say chinese leaders may be growing worried about the possibility that the crash may trigger unrest. kurando tago, nhk world, beijing.

the concern about unrest has evolved into media control. chinese officials have abruptly halted nhk's satellite tv transmission in china during reports related to the crash in tiananmen square. audio and visual feeds were cut off during an nhk news program for overseas audiences on tuesday. one suspension lasted for two minutes at noon japan time. another halt at 7:00 p.m. lasted for 40 seconds. it occurred during a report about chinese authorities suspending nhk's tv coverage of the crash. after the crash occurred on monday, nhk tv news report was halted for several seconds. the japanese defense chief says the military will monitor chinese aircraft. they flew over the southern

islands of okinawa. four passed between the islands and made round trips over the pacific ocean friday and sunday. they didn't violate japanese air space. commanders with the self defense forces scrambled fighter jets as a recaution. the jets were a rare event. >> translator: it's the first time this many aircraft have flown between the islands. we're aware this is part of china expanding over the seas. >> he says they need to up their response after the chinese military flying over. a japanese research team

says most of the radioactive cesium that fell on the forest floor after the accident at the fukushima plant is still in the same place. researchers from the japan atomic energy agency installed in the woods in 2011 two months after the accident. they hope to learn how cesium moves from fallen leaves to soil. rain washed it off leaves six months after the accident. as leaves decomposed the cesium moved into the soil. after two years of research, 0.1 to 0.2% has reached a depth of 10 centimeters. >> translator: the result suggests the cesium has not penetrated deep into the ground. i believe the findings are

useful for decontaminating areas. >> the water is unlikely to have carried to nearby areas. cleaning up areas around the plant has been a major challenge for japanese leaders. cabinet ministers say the government should bear part of the cost that could be million of the. local governments are carrying out decontamination work. the plant operator of the electric plant is covering expenses. tepco executives are asking the go. to contribute toward the massive costs. accelerating the clean up work is crucial for the prefecture to recover quickly. >> translator: the government is studying the matter comprehensively including the financial issue. >> finance minister says the government is responsible for the problem. >> translator: the government has long promoted energy as a

national policy. i think it's unfair to blame only tepco for the nuclear accident. >> aso said the government should discuss financial support with the governing liberal democratic party. government officials are looking to outer reaches of their territory to launch a new strategy against global warming. they want islands to one day rely on energy for power instead of diesel. >> we want to establish a low carbon society from remote islands. a society that can produce energy locally and then store it. >> officials with the environment ministry say residents on about 100 islands rely on diesel to feed energy to their homes and businesses. natural disasters could lead to blackouts. they want to use renewable energy sources to reduce

dependence on diesel. they plan to install devices to store electricity to be used in case of disasters. they're testing floating wind turbines off you the goto islands. they plan to carry out similar experiences in other local places. they're seeking $80 million for the project in fiscal 2014 starting in april. japan's financial regulators plan to inspect three major banking groups next week. they include mizuhol bank that loans to organized groups. the agencies have notified the three groups of the upcoming inspections. officials plan to start investigating these institutions beginning next tuesday. the inspections will focus on

legal compliance systems of banks including measures to prevent transactions with criminals. officials will czech to see if mizohu is working to align principles submitted monday. a major farmer's organization is throwing combined weight behind a common goal working together to strengthen the competitiveness to strengthen the agricultural you sector. the union of agricultural cooperatives plan to hold the meetings next month to increase ways to use farm exports and make the industry more efficient. the government has been trying to increase competitiveness of the farming sector as it takes part in the transpacific free trade talks. google launches education

for students. google started the program jointly with a non profit organization. the company's executive chairman eric schmitt visited a high school tuesday to mark the occasion. >> it's interesting that japan is fourth or so in the world in science education which is great. united states is way low. >> he told the students japan has the potential and technology to be a leader in soft wire development. he encouraged them to study and help each other find a solution when faced with a challenge. students tried out computer programming with the mpo staff using a $30 pc developed in britain. they learned developing skills to make the cats on the screen move freely. >> translator: i've never done computer programming so i assumed it was difficult. when i tried it, it was really

fun. >> google plans to make the program available for more than 25,000 children across japan over the next year. the reserve bank of india is trying to combat rising prices in asia's second most popular economy. it decided to raise the key interest rate tuesday for the second time in two months suggesting it sees inflation as a bigger economic risk than slowing growth. the rbi lifted the policy rate by 25 basis points to 7.75%. the bank expressed concern in the latest economic review about growing pressure from rising prices. ind india's wholesale price rose to a high in december 6.64%. investors welcomed the hide. mumbai's main stock index jumped 2%. let's take a look at the latest market figures.

people in north eastern japan are getting busy with a project that takes decade to bear fruit. two years ago, they saw a tsunami wash through the city. they'll put memories in a time capsule to pass along to the next generation. >> this is the district of iwaki city. it suffered massive damage.

locals and volunteers from a university are working together to record the testimonies of victims of the tsunami. two and a half years later, people are starting to forget about the disaster even in the worst hit areas. >> i thought the time had come to record testimonies because people are starting to get busy again. that makes it more difficult to find time. >> he and the group decided to keep the interview in a time capsule so the victim's children and grandchildren can see for themselves 20 years later. the real capsule is three meters long ten times bigger than this model. the plan is to install it at a park that will be built on land damaged by the tsunami. >> it will be great seeing people like grandma looking so young. >> translator: it's an important starting point that can grab the

viewer's attention. >> students from the university working as volunteers in the devastated region are helping with the interviews. a freshman visited fukushima for the first time hoping to help in the recovery process. >> the tsunami moved the house all the way to the street. >> the whole house? >> translator: a tsunami 1.6 meters high hit here. there were cars everywhere. >> it was the first time she had heard first time accounts of victims from the tsunami. she was shocked. >> at a meeting that night, she spoke about the uneasiness she felt during the interviews. >> translator: there were many times i was unsure i should be asking certain questions. i thought is this really okay?

>> translator: i think the people who agreed to be interviewed were waiting for this opportunity. by listening to their stories and being with them when they vent their feelings, we're helping them carry their burden. >> she is visiting a woman who lost her home to the tsunami. she spoke openly about the difficulties of being a long term evacuee. >> translator: these two and a half years have been so long. it's because i'm waiting for things to get back to normal. i'm sure everyone feels the same way. >> translator: is there anything that's been especially important to you? >> translator: i guess it's been encouragement from friends.

little things like saying, are you okay? have meant a lot to me. it's good to have someone who can listen. >> she had been uncomfortable about doing the interviews but began to change too. >> translator: these people want to talk about what happened. that's become very important to me. i want to open my mind and listen carefully to what they have to say. >> so far, the volunteers have gathered over 50 hours of interview footage. they hope the project will help to ease the impact of the disaster for both current and future generations. >> time now for a check on the weather. good morning. people in north western russia are dealing with stormy conditions. what's the latest there? >> good morning. yes, we have been talking about the storm battering northern

europe. now it's shifting towards the east. it has affected russia badly. let me show you video coming from there. a powerful storm batted western russia yesterday. strong winds knocked down trees and killed more than a dozen people, cut power and forced cancellations of hundreds of flights and train operations in europe. hurricane force winds and torrential rains occurred in some places as well. incredible image coming from there. now the system is affecting the scandinavian peninsula, north eastern europe and towards north western russia. you can see the lines close to each other representing there are going to be deadly gusts again over 100 kilometers per hour very much possible across the vicinities. do secure items on balconies and minimize outdoor activities today if you're there.

towards the south, western mediterranean, active system here. it is bringing unstable conditions to north western africa as well as all the way towards the alps. this is another system that provides windy conditions to british isles. another round of messy fixture to the area london 14 degrees. for now seeing a short break with plenty of sunshine here. high pressure dominates much of these regions as well. looking at clear skies. foggy with red alert for fog at 22 degrees. another spiral you see. this is a tropical storm system. no significant development is likely. it will stay as the tropical storm status. this is named cambodian crane. it will be affecting areas with

heavy rain in the coming days. wind gusts packing 90 kilometers per hour. high waves are likely. across the big picture, numerous thunderstorms here. 72 kilometers per hour winds. 60 millimeters of rain in the last 24 hours and likely to continue into the nighttime hours. to the south of this, another system has moved away. we have a high pressure system predominant making things clear. we'll have clear blue skies including the korean peninsula and northern china. an incoming system, this is widespread somehower maker. that's likely to affect much of the areas that has been concerned with drought conditions since september. good news for farmers with welcoming rain in summit regions. temperatures shape up like this.

looking not too bad in normalle territories in tokyo at 22 degrees. partly sunny skies staying in the 30s in the tropics. i leave you now for the extended forecast and cities around the globe.

that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us. 

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